Pierre-Yves Cariou, senior research perfumer, IFF, says, “With Franc Schiet, Senior Perfumer VP, we receive all the new molecules synthesized by our research team of chemists in Union Beach [New Jersey] so we can assess their potential for future use in fragrance.”

The perfumers in charge of this research come from the creation side of perfumery. Cariou, for example, spent 20 years in fragrance creation in categories like beauty care and fine fragrance before taking a research role.

“The idea is to bring somebody with experience on projects and formulation in order to quickly put our ingredients into realistic situations,” he explains. “We [do this] to review price, regulatory and performance, which are the key factors that our customers and consumers are looking for. We really improved the connection between research and creation to have the molecules that are the correct answers.”